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What is causing venomous snakes to invade California beaches?

Warmer tropical ocean waters are bringing new species northward.

For the third time in the last few months, a rare venomous sea snake has been found washed up on a beach in California, causing a mild panic among the beach-goers and giving biologists in the area something to consider, according to an article in the Washington Post.

Yellow-bellied sea snakes can grow to about three feet in length and are identifiable by their black and yellow markings and a paddle-like tail. They contain a venom with a potent neurotixin that can interfere with the muscles communicating with nerve cells, which could lead to respiratory, heart, or nerve failure, and can be potentially fatal.

The serpents spend most of their time in tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and rarely make contact with humans. They never willingly come ashore because the shape of their bodies makes it difficult to traverse on dry land.

Greg Pauly, herpetological curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County said there was little to fear from the snakes unless you try to pick one up. He added the snake’s fangs are tiny and they could barely open their mouth’s wide enough to actually bite a person.

So why are they visiting California’s sunny beaches? Experts say it is because of the weather, or at least the warming of the ocean waters off the Golden State’s coast. Because the water in the area is so warm now, the snakes have expanded their range of suitable conditions for hunting and reproducing.

An unusually powerful El Niño is catching the blame for the warming of the ocean waters, and of course, climate change is contributing as well. Experts say the increasingly warm waters are causing many sea creatures to move farther north for more suitable environmental conditions, and that may one day cause major problems for tropical areas that depend on a fishing culture for survival.

And it may not be the best move for the wandering ocean-dwellers either. Some species will encounter predators with which they are unfamiliar as they migrate northward. In the end, some will flourish, while some may find it difficult to survive alongside their new neighbors.